Heaven's Mistaken Gift
by: Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell
Co-written by: That70sShoLova
Chapter 12: Bubbling to the Surface
Before leaving, though, Cole thought he'd better check on Phoebe. He shimmered into his room finding her lying on her side, eyes wide open and staring at him.
"Where ya been?" she asked.
He sighed. "I was talking with Jared."
She raised an eyebrow. "Talking?" she sat up. "You mean he's done abusing me?"
He walked over and he sat beside her. Maybe the elixir hadn't had its full effect on her yet. "I don't know, but if he does it again, I can promise you I won't just sit by." He stood up.
"Where ya going?" Phoebe asked in a bored tone.
Cole looked at her and smiled. "Just to the Underworld. I need to take care of some buisness."
She smiled and leaned forward. She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, the brown irises showing excitement. "Are you going as Balthazar? You're so sexy when you're Balthazar."
He shook his head. "Doubtful."
She pulled him by the shirt to lean closer to him. "Trust me." She made to kiss him on the lips, but he pulled away. "What's wrong?"
He looked down. "Nothing."
"Fine," she pouted. "Go to the Underworld." She bit her lip. "Since you don't care about me," she whispered bitterly.
He looked back at her, holding her hand even though she tried to pull away. "I do care about you, Phoebe. I do."
"Th—then you care about me but you don't love me?" she asked.
He shook his head. "N-no. that-that's not—"
But before he could get an explanation out, she threw herself into him. "Then what is it?"
"I can't tell you, but if everything works like I want it to, I'll come back and kiss you," he said, taking her face in his hands and wiped her eyes.
"You promise?"
He nodded. "Yes."
Cole shimmered to his destination. The demon had her back turned to him. Her form hunched over a table. She wore a skimpy black leather outfit, a fad in the Underworld. Her black hair fell in ringlets on her dark skin.
"Odessa?"
She turned around and smirked. Odessa was a demonic healer, but liked to dabble in potions. She would mix herbs and demon blood and make elixirs. "Balthazar."
"Yes." Cole nodded.
"I haven't seen you in years," she informed. "What did you do this time?"
"Nothing," Cole denied. "It's what Zepar did."
She laughed. "Of course! What can I do for you?"
"I need an antidote or sorts, a remedy. Zepar gave an elixir to a girl that turned her and her baby evil," Cole explained.
Her face lit up in realization. "This woman...she is good?" it wasn't really a question, more a statement. "...and you have fallen for her."
"That's none of your business, Odessa!" He was angry that it was so apparent.
"The mighty Balthazar..." She walked up to him and touched his arm. She had a power, the power of knowledge in a single touch. "...has fallen for a witch," she circled him, "a future Charmed One at that."
He pushed her away. "That is not what I have come to see you for, Odessa. I have a request and I expect you to fulfill it. I need something that will help Phoebe become good again, but keep her baby evil."
She nodded. "Okay, that is doable." She motioned for him to come over.
"You're good Balthazar, half anyway." She grabbed a knife and slit his palm. "That is what will help her." She squeezed the cut over a bowl. She grabbed some herbs and then slit her own arm and dripped the blood in.
"And my blood will keep the baby evil." She mixed it quickly, the power turning red. She pinched some in between her fingers and slipped the powder in a medicine capsule. She did that with twenty more. "Have her take one before drinking the potion Zepar gives her."
Cole took the pills and slipped them in the bottle she handed him.
"What's my reward for helping?" She asked coyly.
He shook his head. "No." he said firmly. "I won't do that anymore."
She pouted. "Awe."
He pushed her away.
"Well, I guess you'll just have to give me something extra special. How about a power?"
"Where am I supposed to get one of those?" He asked harshly. "I am not going to take any from Phoebe."
"Of course not, what a silly question." She rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you are being affected by the nuisance. Kill Balthazar, you have done it before, you can do it again. Kill a witch or demon, I don't care as long as I get my payment."
"Alright. Do you have any type you want?"
She shook her head. "I do not care. Just bring me power!"
"As you wish." He shimmered out.
Jared staggered through the door, having had over 10 way-too-much-to-drink drinks. His demonic eyesight kicked in, haze going away as he headed downstairs. He reached to bottom landing, walking over to Cole's bedroom door and finding it locked.
He pounded on the door. "Phoebe! Get out here!" he yelled.
Phoebe, the effects of the elixir making her sleep much deeper and have sleepless dreams, couldn't hear his irritating beating. He tried to bust down the door, but found he couldn't, so he shimmered in.
He saw Phoebe fast asleep on the bed. "PHOEBE!" he yelled, but she didn't stir. "PHOEBE!" he tried again, but still nothing.
Finally, frustration kicking in, he strode over to her, yanking her off the bed by her wrist. She hit the floor with a thud and her eyes popped open.
"Wh—what?" she asked. Then she looked up from the feet she saw and instantly tried to pull away. "Jared, let go!"
"No! Phoebe! No! I've let you have your fun with this guy, but it's over now," he said pulling her to her feet.
"Let go!" she yelled, pulling away, so much that she knew with one more jerk, her shoulder would dislocate.
"YOU WANNA STAY WITH THAT PIECE OF GARBAGE!" he yelled, pushing her back onto the bed.
Her eyes turned black and suddenly she saw a flame in her hand that he held. She turned her wrist and burned his skin black
"OW!" he said, punching her in the stomach.
She stood back up, having no energy and wondering how it happened, until the true nature of what her daughter was popped into her head. With her other hand, she touched her stomach. "You wanna fight to protect me?"
"Why you!" Jared formed an energy ball and threw it. She collapsed in pain as it hit her stomach, but she saw flames shoot from her hand.
"COLE!" she screamed as he advance on her. "HELP!"
"YOU'RE CALLING FOR HIM? HIM!" he bellowed as he kicked her stomach. Seconds later, he felt his airway closing up.
"Yes, she was," he hissed. "You didn't listen to me and now you'll pay the price." He said morphing into Balthazar.
"Cole, what—?"
"Don't worry Phoebe, I'll be right back," he said as the two left.
Cole threw his drunken partner on the cave floor when they landed. The Source looked at Zepar, who was bleeding from being thrown so hard, and Balthazar who was redder in the face than usual.
"He's jeopardizing the plan," Cole rasped after morphing back.
The Source got up from his thrown and walked over to the intoxicated man. "Zepar!" He pulled him by his collar.
He shook his head angrily and shimmered out of his clutch. "Balthazar is the one who's screwing around with Phoebe. She has actually fallen for him! How are we supposed to steal the baby when he's whoring around with her, huh?"
Cole changed forms and rammed into him pushing him against the wall, making sure to cut off his airway while doing it. "She depends on me. After all, you're out at the bars every night only to come home and beat the shit out of her! You're not only hurting Phoebe, but the baby as well, which could ultimately ruin the plan."
The Source walked up to Balthazar and placed a not-so-comforting hand on his shoulder. He shoved Cole away. "I'll deal with him. Go back with the witch and make sure she's okay."
He begrudgingly shimmered away, not before sending Zepar a glare.
The Source stared at him coldly. He conjured a dagger and shoved it through Zepar's heart.
Zepar gasped before his eyes glazed over and he slumped down the cave wall.
The Source pulled out the dagger. Blood gushed out of the wound and the Source tossed the bloody dagger aside.
All of this only happened in a second before Zepar's body was engulfed in flames.
Cole shimmered into the room, finding Phoebe sitting on the floor, her knees to her chest with blood on the floor, unconscious.
"Phoebe!" he called, dropping to his knees in front of her. "Phoebe!" he shook her shoulder.
Her eyes opened weakly. "C-Cole?"
He nodded. "It's gonna be okay," he said scooping her up into his arms and walking over to the closet he told her not to open. "Hold on."
She nodded, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and leaning her head into his neck as he dug through the closet for something. "Cole? I don't feel so well," she whispered as he draped something over his shoulder and walked back over to his bed.
Turning on the bedside lamp, he laid Phoebe on his bed. He went to release her, but she didn't want him to. "No!"
"I'm not going anywhere, Phoebe," he sat her up. "I need to tie this around you," he said, showing her a dark red sash, "to stop the bleeding. It'll clot faster."
She nodded. "Are y-you taking m-me to a hospital?"
He shook his head. "To the same healer we took you to before."
"Bu-but I'm bleeding!"
He finished tying it and held him to her. "It'll be okay."
"Mel-Melinda…"
"Oh, that reminds me," he took the bottle from his pocket and grabbed a pill. "Here, take this," he said, handing it to her.
"What is it?"
"Don't ask. Just take it," he urged.
She put it in her mouth, kicking it to the back of the back of her throat. She looked around. "Could you get me a glass of water, please?"
He shook his head. "I have a better idea."
"What?"
He took her face in his hands, holding her steady. He smiled as his lips landed on hers in a kiss that was soft, but slowly became rougher. He put his arms around her and pulled her close. She wanted to stay there as long as she could, but her stomach seemed to be hurting more by the second.
After two minutes, she had to pull back. "Sorry," she said as tears fell.
He wiped them away. "It's okay. We should go anyway."
Phoebe nodded, sitting in his lap, rubbing her injured belly.
He pulled her hand away. "Don't." He stood, holding her. "It might make it worse."
"Okay."
He shimmered down to the Underworld, carrying Phoebe into the cave.
He found the demon standing near the back of the cave as if he was waiting for them. He smiled as yellowish grin. "Balthazar. Back so soon? And without Zepar," he tked, "what shame."
Cole walked over to him, holding Phoebe securely. "What's a shame, exactly?"
"I had a deal with him, but I have none with you, so I cannot help you," he shrugged.
"Wh—what's he talking about?" Phoebe asked as she shook slightly.
Cole gritted his teeth, knowing this had to be done now, before she began having another fit from not being given the elixir.
"What deal did you have with Zepar?"
He chuckled. "You think I would tell you the details?"
"Cole…" she tried weakly.
"Look, whatever deal he had with you—it was a protection deal, wasn't it?—I'll guarantee it for life."
He grinned. "Keep a deal, Balthazar, you?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Cole," she grabbed at his shirt. "Cole please…I n-need…"
"I know and since he's not willing to help, I think I know someone who might be." He turned to walk out.
The demon, now realizing the offer was real, caught his attention. "Balthazar!"
He kept walking. "Unless you're willing to help us, don't bother," he answered.
The demon shimmered to in front of them. "Protection from The Source?" he asked.
"Guaranteed," he assured him.
He nodded. "Look at me," he told Phoebe, but she just buried her head into his shoulder. "Now!" he shouted, but she shook her head.
Cole repositioned Phoebe against him, snatching the satchel from him. "Unless you want to end up like Zepar, I suggest you don't agitate her," he growled, laying the mixture and leaves in her lap. "Hold onto this, Phoebe."
She nodded, her hands clutching it for dear life. They shimmered back up to the house.
He sat Phoebe down on the couch and walked into the kitchen to make tea for her.
"Cole?" Phoebe called.
"Yeah?" he shouted back.
She fiddled with a stray string on her shirt. "C-Can you just stay here for now?" she took a shuddering breath. "I don't want to be alone."
He walked back into the living room. "Yeah, of course." He sat beside her and she cuddled close to him.
"Who's Zepar?" she finally asked.
"No one," Cole replied calmly. He ran his fingers through her hair and placed his chin on her head. "No one you need to worry about anymore."
Phoebe gently pulled away. "Well then, it won't do any in harm telling me, if there is no 'need to worry'."
He sighed. "He...was a demon..."
"Was?" Phoebe asked.
"The Source killed him."
"Why?" she asked. "How did you know Zepar?"
He shifted in his seat. "You really don—"
"Now, Cole!" Phoebe shouted while standing up. "I want to know what the hell that demon was talking about!"
"It was Jared, okay?" Cole shouted back, causing Phoebe to fall back on the couch in shock. "Jared was a shape shifter. He wasn't a half demon like me, just a measly shape shifter. He was weak, scum of the Underworld. And the Source killed him!"
"H-He's dead?" she whispered hoarsely.
"Yes," he nodded. "And that's a good thing, Phoebe. After everything he's done to you, it's a good thing. You can heal now and he won't be able to hit you anymore."
"...But..." she sniffled. "He's the father of my little girl..." she buried her head in Cole's shoulder, crying. "Is it wrong for me to...to miss him? To feel bad that my daughter will grow up without a dad...just like I did? I know it's crazy, after everything he's done to me, but I just can't help but think that little Melinda will grow up without a father with a million questions bouncing in her head."
Cole tentatively touched Phoebe's stomach and wrapped his other arm around her. "I know that and I know I'm not the blood of which Melinda came from, but, Phoebe I love you," he stroked her cheek. "I'm willing to be the father for Melinda. She deserves the best, and I know I'm not that, but damn it, Phoebe, I can try!"
Phoebe looked at him and blinked back tears. She leaned up and kissed his cheek, "Thank you."
He wrapped an arm around her.
"Cole?" she asked again. "Can you make me that tea? I really don't feel that great..."
"Shoot!" he muttered. "I forgot." he lifted her shirt up above her growing stomach and winced. He untied the cloth around her stomach and looked at the wounds. "I'll have to treat them myself."
"Can you?" Phoebe asked.
"I can try," he replied. Cole got up to go get a first aid kit.
"Okay!" she shouted. "But if I lose a leg I'm blaming you!"
"You don't have the money to sue me." He grinned after walking back in the room. He tended to the cuts and bruises, only taking a couple minutes.
"Cole?" she asked while he was putting the gauze away. "Can you make me the tea...with honey?" she batted her eye lashes playfully. "Please?"
"How can I resist that look?" he kissed her cheek. "Sure."
"Thank you, Cole," she smiled as he left and walked into the kitchen.
The thought of telling Cole what her daughter's powers were danced in her emotionally-overloaded mind, but what had happened to Jared seemed more important now.
It was simple, though, if she thought it through enough, she supposed. Cole had heard her call and stopped Jared from advancing on her—on Melinda—and shimmered the two down to the Underworld. She didn't know exactly what took place and was glad, but the repercussions were anything but pleasant.
It left her with no boyfriend and left her little girl without a dad. But Cole said he would step in. How much though, she wondered.
The tea kettle whistling brought her back to reality and she now noticed she was protectively hugging her stomach and crying. How could this have happened?
Cole walked out with her tea, but even before he left the kitchen, he could sense something wasn't right. He found Phoebe crying—almost to the point of hysterics—with her arms around her stomach.
Setting the tea down without even a clink, he sat next to her.
She didn't even need to see him to know he was there, but she looked up anyway.
Sighing, he pulled her into his lap. Her arms came around his neck and her head rested on the side.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
He sat up straight, grabbing her tea. "For now, drink this. It'll make you feel a little better."
Taking the cup, she drained the contents and handed it back to him. "That's all you say? Your best friend was killed! The father of my kid! And I ask you what to do and that's all you say?" she yelled, standing up.
He sighed. "Phoebe, I—"
"No! Don't start! I—I just can't take it!" she said, running into her—which was hers and Jared's—room and slamming the door.
He stood up. "What did she expect me to say?"
A few hours later…
Cole walked through the door carrying a medium half pepperoni, half special pizza as well as two liters of soda. He walked over, set it on the coffee table, and then went into the kitchen to grab plates and cups.
He assumed Phoebe was still in her room upset by what happened, not that he blamed her.
This plan seemed worse by the second, but he knew if he didn't follow through, he'd be in trouble. He looked to the wall, seeing a shadow with a power sphere. Cole motioned it toward him and it obeyed, then becoming his shadow.
He grinned. "Perfect." He shimmered to the Underworld.
Odessa sat waiting for him.
"Your payment," he said, walking up and handing her the power sphere.
She took it, smiling. "I hope the witch is worth it."
He nodded and left.
He walked over, knocking on the door. "Phoebe, are you there?" No response. "I know you're upset. I understand why, but I can't help you if you don't talk." Still nothing.
He shimmered in finding Phoebe was nowhere in sight.
Sighing, he walked downstairs. Halfway there though, he heard her sobs. He stopped, momentarily, and made his way down, making sure his footsteps could be heard.
"Phoebe," he said as he walked toward the couch. "What are you doing down here?"
She looked over at him. "I just feel better down here. Safer, I guess," she said, wiping her eyes.
He sat down. "I'm sorry. I know it's a lot to process. But he wasn't really my best friend…"
She scoffed. "What was he then? Your partner in crime?"
If only you knew how right you are, he thought. "My housemate basically."
She nodded.
"I'm gonna help you as best I can and—"
"I know that. I just wish I could come clean about…you know, everything."
He rested am arm on her shoulder. "I know. Hey, I brought pizza if you're hungry."
She looked at her stomach, hearing a faint growl. "Starving."
He smiled, taking her hand as they went back upstairs…
Author's note: So what do you think?
Reviews are much appreciated. Please?
Review thanks to: That70sshowlova, SyndiDowell, & HalliwellMB
Thanks to my co-writer: That70sShowLova!
Piper Chris Melinda Halliwell & That70sShowLova